The Blind Side

What else do you say about this movie other than it was just all around outstanding. The fact that it is based on the true story of professional football player Michael Oher is just icing on the cake. Sandra Bullock was wonderful as Leigh Anne Tuohy and Tim McGraw did surprisingly well as her husband. Add in Kathy Bates who is usually great and you have a wonderful movie that eveyone should see. Bullock's Oscar for best actress was rightfully given.

Old Dogs

Old Dogs turned out to be a very disappointing movie for such a wonderful cast. The plot had potential but somewhere along the way someone really screwed up in the way they wrote the characters. Both main characters played by John Travolta and Robin Williams were more annoying than anything and you can tell that they even had a hard time getting into the role. The best thing about the movie was the co-stars who had much smaller roles (Seth Green, Matt Dillon, and Bernie Mac). I'm sure some folks will still enjoy the movie, but I had trouble not shutting it off.

Imagine That

Eddie Murphy stars in this comedy about a workaholic dad who is growing estranged from his daughter in his effort to climb the corporate ladder. His daughter copes by creating imaginary friends...or are they imaginary? When her imaginary friends start giving him financial advice that turns out to be very profitable he starts spending more time with her in order to keep gaining this helpful advice. Along the way he is slowly mending the relationship with his daughter until he finally has to decide which love of his life is the most important...his work or his daughter. A cute comedy that is fun for the whole family.

17 Again

When Mike (Matthew Perry) was in high school he was popular, the basketball star, and had an amazing girlfriend. His life is on a great path until she gets pregnant and everything changes. Not happy with the way his life turned out Mike now in his 30's wishes he could go back and magically he falls into a river and comes out 17 again. Now he see if being young is as great as he remembered. When I started to watch this I expected it to be really corny, but found it to be funny and very entertaining. Efron did a pretty good job and is definitely growing up to be one of the next heartthrob's.

Phoebe in Wonderland

An amazing but heart wrenching story about a very different young girl who is obsessed with the idea of Alice in Wonderland and her journey into the looking glass. When a new and odd drama teacher comes to her school and decides to do Alice in Wonderland as the school play Phoebe knows she is perfect to play Alice. Along the way you realize there is a lot more going on with Phoebe than originally meets the eye. This is an excellent movie and Fanning, Huffman, and Clarkson do a great job.

Changeling

Angelina Jolie stars in this, based on a true story, drama about a single mother whose sons goes missing. Instead of admitting they cannot solve the crime a corrupt police department forces her to admit that another boy is her son. She has to decide to accept this new boy as her own or fight the police department and take the chance of never finding her real son.

Run Fatboy Run

Simon Pegg plays Dennis, an out of shape dead beat who ditches his pregnant fiancee at the alter. When she moves on and finds someone else he realizes the consequences of his actions and strives to make things right. This is a very funny movie and Pegg is hilarious.

Smart People

Dennis Quaid plays Lawrence a widowed professor who is going through the motions but not really living his life. His daughter (Ellen Page) is trying to be just like him, but desperate for his attention at the same time. When his constantly broke brother shows up, all of their lives get shaken up. A drama/comedy that to me was just strange but kind of funny.

The College Road Trip

Martin Lawrence plays an overprotective cop/dad who is having a hard time with the thought of his daughter going off to college. He decides he is going to go with her on her college road trip to check out the schools she wants to attend. This trip will either make or break their fragile relationship. A pretty typical Martin Lawrence movie, but fun to watch. I thought Donny Osmond was one of the best parts about the movie.

Swing Vote

Kevin Costner plays Bud Johnson a dead beat dad whose daughter decides to vote using his name but never finishes casting the ballot. When the election is dead locked this unfinished vote is the deciding factor on who will run the nation. When he realizes the responsibility of his decision Bud has to grow up fast. Not one of Costner's best, but a cute feel good movie with a good point.

Mamma Mia!

Based on the Broadway musical about a girl who is about to get married and wants her father to come to the wedding. The only problem is she doesn't know who her father is, but she comes across some of her mothers' letters that gives her 3 possibilities. She decides to invite them all assuming she can figure out which one is her father. A funny and enjoyable movie that even though does not have the best singing it is still fun to watch.

Definitely Maybe

Abigail Breslin and Ryan Reynolds team up in this romantic comedy about a young girl who is curious about her fathers love life and asks him about the women in his past. Instead of answering directly he decides to tell her the story about 3 women he loved and see if she can figure out which is her mother. A cute movie that keeps you guessing.

Juno

When young Juno (Ellen Page) gets pregnant she realizes she cannot go through with an abortion and decides she wants to give her baby up for adoption. She finds the perfect couple to adopt when she meets Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner). As the pregnancy progresses she realizes that this will be tougher than she first thought. This is a wonderful movie. Very funny in its sarcastic wit and the characters are all perfectly chosen.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

When struggling songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee) is just about to throw in the towel and give up his dream of making it big in the music industry he comes across 3 singing chipmunks. The fun trio of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore are more like mischievous children and they make Dave's life a roller coaster of success and chaos. I think they did a great job with this movie, it is fun to watch for the whole family.

Dan in Real Life

Dan (Steve Carell) a widower raising 3 girls on his own and writing a parenting advice column is making it one day at a time. Then one day he runs into a woman that he is instantly attracted to, but unfortunately quickly finds out has just started dating his brother. When they are all stuck together on vacation Dan just hopes to survive. This is a great movie full of great actors. You fall in love with the whole family.

Martian Child

When widower David Gordan (John Cusack) decides to adopt a strange but lovable child he didn't realize how tough it was going to be dealing with the boys' belief that he is from another planet. I love John Cusack but the movie was definitely slow and not one of the better ones I have seen.

Live Free or Die Hard

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back and this Die Hard is just as action packed as all the previous 3 if not more so. In this Die Hard what McClane thinks will be an easy assignment, pick up a computer hacker and bring him in, ends up getting him involved in a Global attack on all of the United States technology systems. I enjoyed the match between Willis and Justin Long and thought this was a really enjoyable movie. Probably my 2nd favorite Die Hard (the 1st being the best).

The Game Plan

In this movie "The Rock" plays Joe Kingman, a professional and highly loved football star whose life is turned upside down when a daughter he didn't know he had shows up on his doorstep. I thought this was a very cute family movie. The little girl steals the show.

Georgia Rule

When Rachel's (Lindsay Lohan) mom doesn't know what to do with any more she decides to send her to spend a summer with her grandmother Georgia (Jane Fonda). Once they start spending some time together Georgia quickly realizes there are some deeper issues that are causing Rachel to be so difficult. I think this film is a bit misleading, because you go into it expecting it to be a comedy and then it deals with some really tough issues. I like Jane Fonda so was able to get through the movie, but it was not one of my favorites.

The Nanny Diaries

When Annie (Scarlett Johansson) isn't sure what to do with her life she decides to simply find a job. Through a chance encounter in the park she ends up agreeing to be a nanny for a wealthy family with one son. She quickly realizes being a nanny pretty much means she is the surrogate mother and she grows very attached to her young charge. As she gets to know the family she realizes there is a lot more than meets the eye, and she is now in the middle.